Stolen Car Chased

Five Charges Filed

June 02, 1993|The Morning Call

A Bethlehem man and a teen-ager led Bethlehem and state police on an eight-mile chase that ended when the stolen car they were in overheated Monday morning.

A Bethlehem policeman recognized a stolen white Camaro while patrolling on 3rd Street at S. New Street at 4:17 a.m. Monday, police said. The car was stolen from Erika and Magdelina Szilvagyi of 110 Orchard Drive, Whitehall Township, on Sunday.

The car fled on Route 378, faked pulling over, but sped off toward Route 22, where state police joined the chase, city police said.

The car pulled over on Route 22 near Route 191 when it overheated, police said.

Police said they found a syringe in the sock of the driver who was later identified as Francisco Rivera, 36, of 1126 E. 4th St., Bethlehem. Rivera falsely identified himself to police and had no identification on him, they said.

Rivera was charged with two counts of receiving stolen property and one count each of giving false reports to police, unsworn falsification, possession of drug paraphernalia and fleeing or trying to elude police.

A 14-year-old passenger was released to his aunt after he was questioned.